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Holiday Viewing

DStv service during the festive season

MultiChoice’s DStv service is available to customers at all times including the festive season period. Customers with holiday homes, in addition to their main home, have different requirements of their DStv service during this time. The information below explains how customers can enjoy their DStv service at their holiday homes and manage their accounts between their main home and their holiday home.

DStv is a month-to-month service – customers pay at the beginning of the month (on their payment due date) for that month’s viewing. This means that customers need to stay on their chosen DStv package for the month – they can only downgrade at the end of that month when their next payment is due. Customers with holiday homes should at least have one primary service active.

Option 1: If you’d like to switch your viewing between your main home & holiday home

This won’t affect your billing because you’re switching off your viewing at one home and switching it on at your holiday home, but please note that you’ll need to switch your viewing between your homes on the same day.

Option 2: If you’d like to keep your main home active & activate your holiday home

This will affect your billing (you’ll be paying for the subscription at your holiday home, in addition to the subscription at your main home).

Please note: You’ll need to pay the amount due from the day you activate your holiday home until your next payment date. The amount is due within 24 hours of activating your subscription at your holiday home to avoid suspension of your services, and can be paid via EFT or credit card on Self Service.

Option 3: If you’d like to suspend your main home while you’re on holiday

We regret that because you’ve already paid for your monthly viewing until your next payment date, we are unable to suspend your services. We can, however, schedule your suspension to be effective at the start of your next viewing period on your next payment date. You can then reconnect your services when you return from holiday.

Important to note that you cannot take your smartcard from your decoder at home and use it in another decoder elsewhere – for security reasons, your smartcard and your decoder are paired together. This means that your smartcard will not work in another decoder.

The easiest way to activate your holiday home, link your smartcards into one account, or make changes to your account is at Self Service at DStv.com. If you experience any problems, please get hold of us on any of the following DStv touchpoints: Facebook, Twitter, our DStv Forum or enquiries@multichoice.co.za

Different holiday viewing accommodations

Staying in a Hotel

Generally, hotels have pre-selected channels that they make available to their customers, like MNet, Movie Magic, SuperSport, etc. Your viewing choice would depend on the hotel that you choose.

If you're picky about what you watch, we recommend that you ask the hotel which channels they have available when making your reservations.

Self-Catering Accommodation

These range from large timeshare accommodation to small bed and breakfasts or lodges. Some of these places have pre-selected channels that are made available to their customers, and you may want to find out what channels are available to watch.

Some places ask you to bring your own smartcard, which can be tricky, since it depends on the type of decoder you have. Or they will offer to rent a smartcard to you for the duration of your holiday. Check out your options thoroughly so that you don't incur any unnecessary additional costs.

Some places provide you with access to the full DStv package as part of the rental or points package, which is fantastic, since it means less hassle and less baggage for you to cart along.

If you have any PVR decoder, and the holiday home does not have the correct satellite dish and configuration set up, then your PVR decoder will function like a standard decoder, without any of the PVR functionality that you would enjoy at home.

Renting a Holiday Home

These range from large timeshare accommodation to small bed and breakfasts or lodges. Some of these places have pre-selected channels that are made available to their customers, and you may want to find out what channels are available to watch.

Some places ask you to bring your own smartcard, which can be tricky, since it depends on the type of decoder you have. Or they will offer to rent a smartcard to you for the duration of your holiday. Check out your options thoroughly so that you don't incur any unnecessary additional costs.

Some places provide you with access to the full DStv package as part of the rental or points package, which is fantastic, since it means less hassle and less baggage for you to cart along.

Using your own Holiday Home

If you don't have a decoder and smartcard at your holiday home, but your satellite dish is already installed, then all you have to do is cart along your primary decoder and smartcard with you, connect your cables, and you can be enjoying your holiday viewing in no time at all!